Cutoff tool

ABSTRACT

An improved cutoff tool made up of a tool body, a support blade clamped thereto, and a clamping member adapted to be secured to the tool body and overlie the support blade so that an insert bit and stop member may be clamped between the clamping member and the support blade, with the support blade and the tool body interlocking so as to provide added rigidity and extreme compactness.

[451 Sept. 18, 1973 United States Patent [1 1 Stein [54] CUTOFF TOOLFOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLlCATlONS 968,241 9/1964 GreatBritain..............,........... 29/96 [73] Assignee:

Primary Examiner-Leonidas Vlachos Attorney-J. William Freeman et a1.

[22] Filed:

[57] ABSTRACT proved cutoff tool made up of a tool body, a suport bladeclamped thereto, and a clamping member An im adapted to be secured tothe tool body and overlie the support blade so that an insert bit andstop member may be clamped between the clamping member and the supportblade, with the support blade and the tool body interlocking so as toprovide added rigidity and extreme compactness.

mum T mm" N m m mA m nP T "u" A n. e U [T mu ks uh CD R nu E 1% H Um Nl- 1 U New UmF HUNG DUUU 29/95 7 1970 Hood 29/96 4 Clams 4 DrawingFlslll'es 3,662,445 5/1972 Whitaker............................3,611,525 10/1971 Cochran 3,518,737

Pmmmswm 3,758,921

INVENTOR. WILLIAM B. STEIN BY JWV M ATTORNEYS CUTOFF TOOL 1. Field ofthe Invention This invention relates to the art of metal cutoff, andparticularly relates to tooling of the type that is designed to bemounted on a cross slide for movement radially inwardly with respect toa revolving workpiece so as to effectuate cutoff thereof.

2. Description of the Prior Art cutoff tools of the general type hereinbeing contemplated originally came into popular acceptance in the latel950s, with Novkov US. Pat. No. 2,846,756 illustrating a typical cutofftool of this type.

While the tool described in the aforementioned Novkov patent hasachieved universally wide acceptance and constituted an advance in theart, it has none-theless been found that the overall effectiveness ofsuch tooling can be improved if certain modifications are made asfollows.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION First, it has been found that if a mechanicalinterlock is effectuated between the tool body and the support blade byproviding a tongue and groove type of connection, a considerable numberof advantages occur. Thus, it enables the support blade to be of alesser length, which accordingly means that a shorter insert bit oflesser cost can be used especially if the support blade is contoured toreceive a stop member, as will hereinaf- -ter be described.

Also, it has been found that if the stop member is provided with anappropriately contoured face, the same will be permitted to serve as astop against the unused end of a double-ended cuto'ff insert without anydamage to the cutting tip thereof during the period of stored non-use.

Additional advantages have been obtained by drawing the support bladeand stop member against the face of the tool body provided therefor sothat easier accessibility for the purpose of changing the support bladeexists.

The invention consists of providing a new combination of uniquecomponents that coact together to produce a new and improved result notobvious from the prior art. The use of an interlocking arrangementbetween the support blade and the tool body, coupled with the particularshaping of the top surface of the support blade so as to permitsimultaneous reception and clamping thereon of an insert and a stopmember, further enhances the overall utility of the invention.

Production of a tool having the above-noted characteristics accordinglybecomes the principal object of the invention, with other objectsthereof becoming more apparent upon reading the followingbriefspecification considered and interpreted in view of the accompanyingdrawings.

Of the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the principal componentsof the invention.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view.

FIG. 3 isapartial side elevational view.

FlG.4 is a'partial top plan view.

DESCRIPTION OF THE 3PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring 'now to thedrawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, the improved cutoff tool,generally designated by the numeral 10, includes a tool body 20, asupport blade 30, a stop 40, an insert 50, and a clamping block 60, thearrangement being such that screws 71,71 are used to draw the supportblade 30 onto the tool body, with screw 72 holding the stop member inplace with respect to the tool body 20 so as to permit the stop member40 and the insert 50 to be clamped on top of the support blade 30 by theclamping member 60 which is, in turn, drawn down by the screw 73.

With reference to the detailed construction of the tool body 20, thesame is shown as being of generally elongate, rectangular configurationin elevation so as to include a top surface 20a, a bottom surface 20b,an access side surface 20c, and a cutting side surface 20d.

The side surface 20d is undercut adjacent the forward end 20c so as todefine a recessed surface 21, with this surface 21 further beingprovided with a groove 22 therein that coacts with the support blade 30,as hereinafter will be described. Transverse bores 23,23,23 are providedin body 20 and are designed to accommodate the screw members 71,71 and72, while a tapped and threaded opening 24 is provided in the topsurface 20a for reception of the screw 73. A slot 25 is also provided inthe top surface 20a of body 20 for coaction with the clamping member 60as will be described.

The support blade 30 is generally of blade-like configuration and has aforward end 31, a rearward end 32, and a top surface that is defined bya V-shaped frontal support portion 33 and a rearwardly presented planarsurface 34. A rib 35 extends longitudinally of the blade 30 on one sidethereof and is provided with threaded openings 35a,35a that receive thethreaded ends of the screw members 71,71.

Front clearance is provided by the relieved surface area 36, while theside surface 37 is designed to be flush with the recessed surface 21 ofthe tool body 20 upon the rib 35 being inserted in groove 22 and drawntightly therein by the action of the screw members 71,71.

Turning now to the construction of the stop member 40, it will be notedthat the same is of generally blocklike configuration so as to include arear surface 41 that is designed to abut against the shoulder 21a oftool body 20, a top surface 42 that is designed to be clamped by therearward portion of the clamping member as will be described, and abottom surface 43 that is adapted to be seated on the surface 34.

A tapped aperture 44 receives the screw member 72 while an inclinedfrontal surface 45 is adapted to serve asa seat for the unused end ofthe insert 50, as clearly shown in FIG. 3.

Preferably the angle of inclination of the face 45 corresponds to thefront clearance angle provided on the insert50 so that a firm matingseat is provided. The dimensional relationship between surfaces 34 and37 on the support blade and the height of insert 50 and stop 40 arepreferably as shown so that there will be no surface on stop 40 actingagainst the cutting edge portion of the unused end of the double-endedinsert. This avoids damage to the unused end.

In all events, the illustrated insert 50 includes cutting ends 51 and 52interconnected by a reduced height central portion 53, with the unithaving a V-shaped bottom surface 54, as clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2of the drawings. Referring to FIG. 2, the cutting end 51 is providedwith the usual side tapering surfaces 5la,5la while FIG. 4 shows how thetop surfaces 51b have back clearance provided thereon, as indicated bythe numerals 53,53 in FIG. 4 of the drawings. A front clearance 55 isprovided on the front surface of both ends 51 and 52, with it beingnoted that the front clearance 55 is complemental to the angle ofsurface 45 of the stop member 40, as best shown in FIG. 3.

It should be noted that while the invention has been illustrated inconnection with a double-ended insert, it is also possible to utilizethe broad concept disclosed herein with a single-ended insert ifdesired. Furthermore, it is also possible to utilize an insert which hasno front clearance angle, such as is illustrated in the drawings.

Referring again to the drawings, the clamp member 60 is generally ofblock-like configuration and includes a central bore 61 through whichthe bolt 73 may be passed for clamping purposes. Referring now to FIG.3, it will be noted that one side 62 of the clamping block 60 includes abit clamping arm 63 and a stop clamping arm 64, with these two armsbeing intended to clamp the bit and stop members in position, as clearlyshown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 of the drawings. In addition to theaforementioned component parts, the remaining side surface 66 includes adepending rib portion 67 (see FIG. 2) which rides in the slot 25 in thetop surface a of body 20 for alignment purposes.

In use or operation of the improved cutoff tool, it will first beassumed that the component parts have been machined to the contour shownin FIG. 1. At this time it is merely necessary that the screws 71,71 bepassed through the openings 23,23 and into the threaded openings,35a,35a in the support blade where the blade will be drawn into contactwith the surface 21 as has been described.

Following this the stop 40 may be positioned on the surface 34 of blade30 by inserting the screw 72 in the aperture 23 and into threadedopening 44. At this time it is merely necessary that the V-shapedsurface 54 of the bit 50 be placed on the surface 33 of blade 30. Whenthe stop is so positioned, one end of bit 50 will project slightlybeyond the front edge of the blade, as shown in FIG. 3, and at this timeit is merely necessary to place the clamp 60 in position by engaging therib 67 and groove 25. Following this, the bolt 73 can be screwed intothe opening 24 so that arm 63 engages the central area 53 of insert 50,while arm 64 engages surface 42 of stop 40.

' At this time the tool is ready for use.

It will be seen from the foregoing that there has been provided a newand improved type of cutoff tool that is characterized by the unique useof an improved stop means that permits the use of a double-ended insertwithout any damage to the end portion not being used.

It will be further noted how the provision of a stop member of this typeenables some degree of adjustment to be obtained since the stops can bemade of varying lengths so as to vary the degree of projection of thebit member 50 beyond the support blade 30.

Further, it will be seen how the interlocking rib and groove arrangementemployed between the support blade and tool body produces a resistanceagainst cutting forces that is augmented by the screws 71,7] beingdirectly attached thereto from the opposed side so as to provide ahighly simplified type of cutoff arrangement wherein no projections areprovided on the cutting side.

Finally, it has been shown how the use of the unique stop permits thelength, and therefore cost, of the cutting insert to be substantiallyreduced without materially effecting the overall operation of the cutofftool.

While a full and complete description of the invention has been setforth in accordance with the dictates of the Patent Statutes, it is tobe understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to thespecific embodiments herein shown. Accordingly, modification of theinvention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit hereof orthe scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A cutoff tool of the character described, compris- A. a tool bodyhaving I. a front end 2. a cutting side surface 3. a top surface 4. anaccess side surface;

B. a support blade having 1. a top surface defined by a. a frontallydisposed V-shaped bit-receiving edge portion and b. a rearwardlydisposed planar top surface disposed below the plane of saidbit-receiving surface;

c. a transversely projecting elongated rib extending longitudinally ofsaid support blade;

C. a support pocket defined by said cutting side surface of said bodyand contoured for substantially flush reception of said support bladetherein;

D. an elongate groove provided on one face of said pocket and adapted toreceive said rib, whereby the bottom walls of said pocket and saidgroove provide dual support for said support blade when the same ispositioned therein;

E. means for securing said support blade in said pocket with said rib insaid groove;

F. a reversible insert bit having I. opposed cutting tips and 2. aV-shaped bottom edge adapted to be received on said V-shaped edge ofsaid support blade and 3. a planar top surface intermediate said cuttingtips and 4. equal front clearance angles provided on said cutting tips;

G. a stop member I. secured within said pocket on said planar surface ofsaid support blade rearwardly of said insert a. whereby said stop limitsrearward movement of said insert relatively of said support blade;

H. clamping means 1. releasably secured with respect to the top surfaceof said tool body and 2. having first and second clamping areassimultaneously clamping said bit and said stop between said clampingmeans and the top surfaces of said support blade. 2. The cutoff tool ofclaim 1 further characterized by the fact that the front face of eachend of said cutoff insert is inclined to the horizontal at the sameangle as the face of said stop that engages said insert.

3. A support blade for use in a cutoff tool having an access sidesurface and a longitudinally extending recess in said side surfacecomprising;

A. an elongate body;

B. the top surface of said body being defined by 1. a frontally disposedV-shaped bit-receiving edge portion and 2. a rearwardly disposed planartop surface disposed beneath the plane of said bit-receiving surface andbeing coextensive therewith; and

C. a longitudinally extending rib projecting from one side of said bodyand adapted to engage the recess in said cutoff tool; the length of saidrib being substantially less than the overall length of saidbitreceiving surface and said rearwardly disposed planar top surface.

4. A cutoff tool of the character described, compris- A. a tool bodyhaving 1. a front end 2. a cutting side surface 3. a top surface 4. anaccess side surface; B. a support blade having 1. a top surface definedby a. a frontally disposed V-shaped bit-receiving edge portion and b. arearwardly disposed planar top surface disposed below the plane of saidbit-receiving surface; c. a transversely projecting elongated ribextending longitudinally of said support blade;

C. a support pocket defined by said cutting side surface of said bodyand contoured for substantially flush reception of said support bladetherein;

D. an elongate groove provided on one face of said pocket and adapted toreceive said rib, whereby the bottom walls of said pocket and saidgroove provide dual support for said support blade when the same ispositioned therein;

E. means for securing said support blade in said pocket with said rib insaid groove;

F. an insert bit having 1. at least one cutting tip and 2. a V-shapedbottom edge adapted to be received on said V-shaped edge of said supportblade and 3. a planar top surface behind said cutting tip and 4. a frontclearance angle provided on said cutting tip; G. a stop member 1.secured within said pocket on said planar surface of said support bladerearwardly of said insert a. whereby said stop limits rearward movementof said insert relatively of said support blade; and H. clampingmeans 1. releasably secured with respect to the top surface of said toolbody and 2. having first and second clamping areas simultaneouslyclamping said bit and said stop between said clamping means and the topsurface of said support blade.

# I. I i i

1. A cutoff tool of the character described, comprising; A. a tool bodyhaving
 1. a front end
 2. a cutting side surface
 3. a top surface
 4. anaccess side surface; B. a suppOrt blade having
 1. a top surface definedby a. a frontally disposed V-shaped bit-receiving edge portion and b. arearwardly disposed planar top surface disposed below the plane of saidbit-receiving surface; c. a transversely projecting elongated ribextending longitudinally of said support blade; C. a support pocketdefined by said cutting side surface of said body and contoured forsubstantially flush reception of said support blade therein; D. anelongate groove provided on one face of said pocket and adapted toreceive said rib, whereby the bottom walls of said pocket and saidgroove provide dual support for said support blade when the same ispositioned therein; E. means for securing said support blade in saidpocket with said rib in said groove; F. a reversible insert bithaving
 1. opposed cutting tips and
 2. a V-shaped bottom edge adapted tobe received on said Vshaped edge of said support blade and
 3. a planartop surface intermediate said cutting tips and
 4. equal front clearanceangles provided on said cutting tips; G. a stop member
 1. secured withinsaid pocket on said planar surface of said support blade rearwardly ofsaid insert a. whereby said stop limits rearward movement of said insertrelatively of said support blade; H. clamping means
 1. releasablysecured with respect to the top surface of said tool body and
 2. havingfirst and second clamping areas simultaneously clamping said bit andsaid stop between said clamping means and the top surfaces of saidsupport blade.
 2. a cutting side surface
 2. having first and secondclamping areas simultaneously clamping said bit and said stop betweensaid clamping means and the top surface of said support blade.
 2. aV-shaped bottom edge adapted to be received on said V-shaped edge ofsaid support blade and
 2. a cutting side surface
 2. a rearwardlydisposed planar top surface disposed beneath the plane of saidbit-receiving surface and being coextensive therewith; and C. alongitudinally extending rib projecting from one side of said body andadapted to engage the recess in said cutoff tool; the length of said ribbeing substantially less than the overall length of said bit-receivingsurface and said rearwardly disposed planar top surface.
 2. The cutofftool of claim 1 further characterized by the fact that the front face ofeach end of said cutoff insert is inclined to the horizontal at the sameangle as the face of said stop that engages said insert.
 2. having firstand second clamping areas simultaneously clamping said bit and said stopbetween said clamping means and the top surfaces of said support blade.2. a V-shaped bottom edge adapted to be received on said V-shaped edgeof said support blade and
 3. a planar top surface intermediate saidcutting tips and
 3. a top surface
 3. A support blade for use in a cutofftool having an access side surface and a longitudinally extending recessin said side surface comprising; A. an elongate body; B. the top surfaceof said body being defined by
 3. a planar top surface behind saidcutting tip and
 3. a top surface
 4. A cutoff tool of the characterdescribed, comprising; A. a tool body having
 4. an access side surface;B. a support blade having
 4. a front clearance angle provided on saidcutting tip; G. a stop member
 4. equal front clearance angles providedon said cutting tips; G. a stop member
 4. an access side surface; B. asuppOrt blade having